Drum weir



Aplr'fifl 3Q), 1935. BECHETR 1,999,582

DRUM WEIR Filed March 15, 1932 INVENTOR THEODOR BECHER ATTORNEY Patented Apr; 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca DRUM WEIR many Application March 15,

1932, Serial No. 598,977

I In Germany March 21, 1931 3 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to weirs, and. more particularly to the drums of roller or lifting weirs, especially those having hinged-flaps or extension gates. It is old to hinge such flapsor gates to the drum body by means of a shaft of suficient length to reinforce the flap and prevent bending thereof, but the mounting of such shafts at the point of hinging of the flap has been attended by considerable difiiculty and can only be accomplished. by the use of skilled mechanics and with considerable expense.

It is the primary object of my invention to avoid the above difiiculty by reinforcing the flap or gate against bending and mounting a shaft, for actuating the same, within the drum with a plurality of connections from this shaft to the flap so as to distribute and equalize the strain thereon, the connections between the shaft and flap preferably engaging the reinforcing means of the flap.

It is a further object of my invention to apply the necessary power to the shaft for actuating the flap to open position, through the use'of means, all of the mechanical parts of which means may be located within the drum itself.

In the above respects my invention aims to promote a substantiallyless expensive construction than is now known and-used, since it is much easier to suitably mount the actuating shaft within the drum than to mount the same in connection with the flap and the hinge thereof. Moreover, my proposed construction leaves me free to utilize an easily connected and effective packing at the flap hinge as I will hereinafter describe.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification: I

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a drum weir embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section through the hinged connecting portions of the flap and the drum wall, and

Figure 3 is a partial vertical longitudinalsection taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to these figures, I have shown extension gate 0 being hinged thereto at b by the sheet metal wall of the drum at a, the flap or to one another so as to effectively reinforce and prevent bending or distortion of the iiap.

Within and lengthwise of the drum, the tubular actuating shaft e is mounted in suitable bearings such as indicated at S in Figures 1 and 3, the shaft being of sufficient diameter and strength to render the same proof against distortion. To this shaft at spaced points corresponding to the spacing of the flap ribs (2, are connected levers f, similarly outstanding from the shaft, each lever having movably connected to its end, one end of a connecting rod 9 whose opposite end is movably connected to corresponding rib d of the flap 0.

The means for turning the shaft e whereby to effect opening and closing or raising and lowering of the flap c, comprise an hydraulic cylinder h movable with respect to its plunger or piston z, the latter of which is hinged at its outer end to the drum at k. The cylinder It has outstanding pins or trunnions Z to which are movably connected the outer ends of levers m outstanding from the shaft 2, as plainly seen in Figures 1 and 3.

The fluid under pressure, for the cylinder It may be supplied in any suitable manner, as for instance, by means of a flexible air hose 71 connected through the wall of the drum 0!. as shown in Figure 1 and to the cylinder end, it being obvious that with sufiicient slack such a supply hose will not interfere withthe lowering of the drum to efiective position in use and may simply wrap around the intermediate portion of the drum when the latter is raised.

Obviously when there is sufficient pressure in the cylinder h the flap or gate 0 will be held in elevated position as shown in Figure l, and when the pressure is relieved the flap will sink of its own weight and finally rest against the drum completing the annular contour of the latter as shown by the broken lines in Figure 1. In raising the flap, movement is communicated through levers m, shaft 6 and levers f to the connecting rods g and through the latter to the flap c, when the cylinder moves, under internal pressure, on its plunger or piston 2'.

As regards the hinged connection of the flap 0, the adjacent portions of this flap and the wall of the drum are respectively seen at q and p in Figure 2, each hinge of which there may be any number lengthwise of the drum depending upon its longitudinal dimension, including a leaf n attached to the wall portion 11 and a companion leaf o -attached to the flap portion q. To these hinge leaves are securely fastened the opposite edges of a flexible packing strip r, whose body thus bridges the hinge point and yet may yield toward and from the jointwhen the flap c is raised and lowered as will be plainly seen by a comparison of the full and dotted lines in Figure 2.

Since the packing strip 1' is adapted to move or flex in accordance with movements imparted to the flap 0 away from and toward the drum 0., as has been heretofore described, it is of advantage to construct said packing strip from some suitable flexible material. Obviously any'suitable flexible material may be used for the packing strip 1', such as rubber or rubber composition, leather, rubber with inlays of linen, linen strips soaked. in tar, thin sheets of copper or any non-rusting pliable flexible material. in actual practice I have found sheet rubber suitable for use as the packing strip, and, therefore, in the drawing (Fig. 2) the packing strip 1' has been so designated. However, it will be understood that any other suitable flexible material can be employed when desired in lieu of the rubber packing strip 1' shown.

Iclaim:

1. A weir drum, a flap or extension gate hinged thereto, a distortion proof shaft mounted. within the drum, leverspro'jecting from-said shaft at spaced intervals therealong, rods connecting said levers with said flap, and means for turning the shaft including a movable hydraulic cylinder, a lever projecting from said shaft and operatively connected to said hydraulic cylinder, and means for operating said hydraulic cylinder.

2. A drum weir, a transversely curved flap or gate hinged to said drum, reinforcing ribs fitting the concave face of said flap, said ribs being arranged in spaced relation lengthwise of the drum, an actuating shaft mounted within the dILlIIl, a plurality of levers projecting laterally from said shaft, said levers being spaced to correspond with said. ribs, a rod. connecting each of said levers and each of said ribs, a hydraulic cylinder, a lever projecting from said shaft and operatively con-. nected to said hydraulic cylinder, and means for operating said hydraulic. cylinder.

3. A drum weir, a flap or extension gate hinged thereto, an actuating shaft mounted within the drum, means for operatively connecting said shaft with said flap whereby turning of said shaft moves said flap, a hydraulic cylinder within the drum, 

